Website Copywriting - 15th Jun 2018

Don’t know where to start with your online marketing? Don’t know how to put your business into words online?

Your website information should be concise, and punchy – leaving customers feeling secure and relaxed about using your services or purchasing your products.

If you can articulate how customers can get problems solved using your services online and do it easily, in a way that your clients can relate to, they will assume you can fix them.

Optimising your website to include keywords and phrases, without compromising on the content for your readers and potential customers, can be a fine juggling act. Optimising your website so that it ranks well with search engines such as Google and Bing, and so increases in traffic; is hugely beneficial.

Website copywriting isn’t easy.

That’s why we have a qualified team of writers who can work with your business, whether face to face or over the phone and without any jargon, nut out what makes your business tick and how best to represent your company online. From the tone and feel of your company to key services and attributes. Writing for the web isn’t easy, if it was, everyone would do it! That’s why we’ve got a dedicated team to help with representing your company online.

What is web development and how can it help your business? - 10th May 2018

Web development is a broad term for the work involved in developing a website for the internet, or an intranet (which is a private network). Web development commonly refers to the non-design aspects of building a website – so the nuts and bolts of it – the coding behind the design.

At Turboweb we have a team of developers who work with us on our website designs, including customised web development. Unlike other website companies in Otago and Southland, Turboweb have developers onsite and don’t outsource our development work. This allows us to more easily meet our clients' needs and requests, as we can easily work with our developers. This means any changes and adjustments can easily be met, as your business grows and changes.

How can web development help your business?

Getting your business online can have huge benefits, especially in New Zealand. Having an online presence for your business can expose your business to a huge audience of potential customers, that were otherwise unaware of your business and can be the key to getting your business ahead of the pack.

Your competitors might not be online, but New Zealand consumers are.

Let’s take a look at the stats on a New Zealand audience. According to the marketing director of yellow pages, only 50% of small businesses in New Zealand have some form of presence on the internet. Yet, according to Neilson, in 2016, 3.4million kiwis used the internet each week. That's 88% of the population aged over 10 years of age.

That’s an audience that small businesses should be taking advantage of, especially if your competitors aren’t taking advantage of the online market. Not only that, but mobile internet usage is growing in New Zealand with 3.1 million kiwis personally owning a mobile device or tablet. That’s 81% of the population aged over 10. Over half of all kiwis (56%) access the internet on our phones.

Did you know 2.8 million people in NZ visit social media across a month, with 88% of the online population aged 15+. Facebook and Youtube are still the top contenders in New Zealand.

All these stats mean now it’s more important than ever to get ahead of other businesses in New Zealand and get your business online. Web development is a great way to customise your website to represent your business in the best way it can be in the online space.

If you’re interested in web development and getting a website in Otago and Southland, give Turboweb a call.

Employees are searching your company online - 10th Apr 2018

Your website isn’t just about potential customers viewing your website, but you should consider potential employees as well. Especially if you’re a growing business.

What are the ways in which you can increase potential employee interest online?

There are several things you can do on your website to appeal to potential employees. Having an employment section, with employee testimonials and a CV upload form is a great way to capture potential employees. According to recent statistics, the average person job searching reads six reviews posted about a company before forming their opinion on the company. So, providing that person with positive work experience stories directly on your website is ideal.

Celebrate company culture and your staff in About Us section

Another way you can do this is to have an About Us section, where you talk about the company culture and showcase your employees. Job seekers can gain a lot of insight into a company by reading the current staff, they might be looking to see if there are opportunities for growth or further upskilling within the company, or to gauge the staff culture. Showing the people behind the company can be pivotal in appealing to potential employees.

Share new jobs on social media

Don’t hesitate to share new positions out, and encourage your staff to share new roles out on their networks as well; after all, most people land a new job through friends. If you’re on Facebook or LinkedIn, share it out.

Why employment forms work

Having an employment form is ideal, as potential employees can fill in an application form at any stage, even when there aren’t any vacancies. Also, rather than paying HR fees, or for job ads, new leads are free! Other bonuses are that rather than having a flood of calls from a role, you can point potential employees to fill in your form – vetting potentials easily. If there’s anything that the role specifically asks for or needs, this can be a set field in your sign-up form, which makes sorting through applicants a breeze.

Our employment forms take an initial set up payment and it’s super easy for staff to add or remove currently advertised positions. If you're interested in adding an employment section to your website or looking for a new website design contact Turboweb.

What is SEO? - 9th Apr 2018

Search Engine Optimisation explained.

Search Engine Optimisation is the process of affecting the online visibility of a website or web page in a web search engine’s unpaid results (eg Google or Bing). Unpaid results are often referred to as ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ search results (vs paid search results).

In general, the better the SEO, the higher and more often a page/ website will rank on search engines, resulting in more views, and more visitors (so higher traffic volumes to your website, increasing your audience, and an increase in views probably means an increase in sales).

What do Turboweb do to help increase SEO?

Turboweb take into account how search engines work. Our developer team are across the latest in search engine indexing algorithms (how companies like Google prioritise and store websites to present to users). Our team work at minimising the barriers that search engines have to face to index our pages (through appropriate coding).

Turboweb content writers work with you to optimise your website content. They do several things like look for specific keywords that could increase your results, look at long-form search terms, and look at increasing the number of backlinks or inbound links to increase the relevance and authority of a webpage. They can help you increase content on a page or refocus a page so that it really hits the mark and successfully meets the needs of your searching customers.
We highly recommend you consider having your website optimised for search engines (get an SEO check!) before considering paying for Google Adwords or any paid online advertising.

There’s no point in paying for high rankings on Google if your webpage isn’t optimised for search engines – as Google Ad Words takes poor performing pages and high bounce rates (the time it takes for visitors to leave your webpage after arriving) into account, and even if you’re paying – won’t give you optimal results. It’s best to work on having solid, relevant content for your website visitors so that if you do choose to do paid advertising, you get the best bang for your buck.

If you’re still lost in the SEO jargon and don’t know where to start, feel free to give us a call. If you think one of your key services or sections of your website could be ranking higher – call us and we can work with you to help increase your online presence.

What is HTTPS? - 19th Mar 2018

HTTPS websites are websites that are more secure than HTTP (you’ll see either at the start of a URL at the top of your browser). HTTPS websites come with a little lock symbol on most browsers. The extra S in HTTPS stands for "secure".

How does it work?

HTTPS is used to verify the identity of the accessed website and protection of the privacy and integrity of that data. When you visit a HTTPS website, to put it simply, your computer and the website communicate with bi-directional encryption, and this protects you from a thing called a "man-in-the-middle" attack. This means for example that people can’t hack in and view your credit card details entered into an online store (phew! But that doesn’t mean you should buy those ridiculous shoes in the first place).

Why do we need to have an HTTPS website?

Having a secure website has become more and more popular than the original non-secure HTTP. This is for a number of reasons, websites are increasingly offering login via social media (and so have to protect that data) and protecting page authenticity of their website (so that a hacker can’t create a clone and steal customer details – a man-in-the-middle scenario). Having an HTTPS website ensures your website is keeping user communications, identity and web browsing private.

What’s this talk of a certificate with HTTPS?

The data sent to you from the website is encrypted with information from a "certificate". This certificate is usually generated for your website by your web provider and is used to verify the website is who it claims to be. Not to not get too technical but you might have seen somewhere a website popping up with an “invalid certificate” - older browsers tend to ask if you want to continue, new browsers have a pop up at the top near the URL when the certificate is shown as invalid. Increasingly an invalid certificate will prevent you from accessing a website. It’s called a certificate for much the same reason as a birth certificate is - a document acting as proof of identity.

Why is HTTPS so important?

As the internet continues to change and grow, hackers are getting more and more sophisticated. All communications sent over regular HTTP connections are in 'plain text' and can be read by any hacker that manages to break into the connection between your browser and the website. This presents a clear danger if the 'communication' is on an order form and includes your credit card details or other personal details. With a HTTPS connection, all communications are securely encrypted. This means that even if somebody managed to break into the connection, they would not be able to decrypt any of the data which passes between you and the website.

This means if you’re an online store or ask people to input credit card details or any personal details like social media logins or passwords – you need to be using an HTTPS website. Generally, if any website asks you to input personal information – it should be an HTTPS website. Always check the top URL bar for that lock and the https before the www. Here at Turboweb, we only use HTTPS, as we want users of our websites to feel secure and to know that any personal information they are inputting is protected, and our websites are more secure.

Turboweb work across Gore, Invercargill, and Bluff - 26th Feb 2018

Turboweb work across Otago and Southland helping businesses throughout the region put their best foot forward online. We work with businesses across the South Island, from individual enterprises, to small rural and commercial businesses, right through to big commercial companies across Gore, Invercargill, Te Anau, Balclutha and the regions.

At Turboweb, we like to do things a bit differently and we think this is reflected in the kinds of clients and businesses that work with us. We’re down to earth, honest people, who don’t think the internet should be difficult thing. We’re here to help bridge the gap between humans and geeks and we think this must appeal to so many of our clients across Otago and Southland.

We like to meet with clients face to face and get down to business. We don’t have a call centre overseas, and there’s no coffee machine in our office. There’s nothing fancy here, just good people doing great work for good people. With our old-fashioned business attitudes, we’ve grown a wide range of clients for example in small regions such as Winton, Lumsden, Bluff, Woodlands, and more. After all, most people from small towns agree that people do business with people.

If you’re interested in getting a website, but don’t know where to start, take a look through some our clients by region, you might be surprised at the range in businesses and the huge range in beautiful designs that we can create. We couldn’t be prouder of our clients and the great work they do for their region, and we’re so happy that by helping their business get online we’re helping more and more locals find and support their business. We’re privileged to support and work with such great people.

Turboweb's Southland Showcase:

Turboweb build websites for companies throughout Otago and Southland

Are you in Invercargill, Te Anau, Gore or Bluff and interested in getting a website set up or getting your business online?

Turboweb travel the Lower South Island regularly talking to our clients and meeting new people who are interested in getting their business online. Here at Turboweb, we like to talk to people in plain English and doesn’t use ‘geek speak’, so don’t worry if you’re not tech savvy, we’re here to help.

Our Simple Web Manager platform that a lot of our websites are built from is designed to be easy to use for even those self-confessed ‘computer illiterate’. It’s made to be simple to use for just about anybody, so that a range of staff within an office can use the website if needed, and so that it’s super easy to update news and events or even the page content of your website if things change. We’re also available to call (and you won’t be redirected overseas!) if you have any issues or questions.

If you’re based in Invercargill, Bluff, Gore or Balclutha and thinking about getting a website, contact us. Unlike other companies, we’re based in Dunedin, and offer support all throughout the set-up process.

We’re happy to visit you more than once to give you advice on the process and what’s involved to get your business up online and putting your best foot forward. With the yellow pages and newspapers dropping off the radar, and the increase of smart phones, tablets, social media – it’s a smart time to get online as kiwis are looking for businesses online. It truly does pay to be ahead of the pack and be well presented on the internet.

Why you need to have testimonials and reviews on your website - 14th Feb 2018

Testimonials increase sales

Not sold on having online reviews on your website? Well, consumers are. A whopping 92% of consumers read online reviews and testimonials when considering a purchase.

Not only that, but 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. We’re not just talking about product-based businesses, testimonials for services can really help tell the human side of a business, explain the process, and build trust.

Testimonials build trust in your business online

72% of consumers say positive reviews and testimonials make them trust a business more. We all know that trust, when it comes to online, is crucial to purchasing and one of the key factors in building a reputable online brand.

Regular Testimonials and Reviews Increase Search Engine Optimisation

Regular customer testimonials are great because they show other website visitors that customers are interacting with your brand. They’re also great for website ranking on search engines like Google as they create ever-changing content, that is relevant and engaging for consumers. Reviews are naturally filled with long-tail keywords that consumers search for, which is also great for SEO.

Reviews and Testimonials Increase Search Traffic

When a business gets 10 or more reviews, it results in a 15-20% increase in search traffic. Reviews are great for leveraging ‘Influencer Marketing’. For example, you could ask for reviews from movers and shakers in your industry or from those who are typical of your target market. This can again, help build trust, and get some hesitant consumers over the line.

Turboweb Suggest Three Main Types of Testimonials

There are three main types of testimonials that we suggest to our clients. Consumer testimonials that live on a testimonials page on the website, employee testimonials that live above an employment application form for job seekers to read and project-based testimonials that review an individual job. Such as Nind Dairy Services’ Projects module.

Turboweb can manage your Testimonials for you

Testimonials can be awkward to ask for, we know. That’s why we offer a service where, after an initial introduction by your business, we can handle the testimonial process. We always find it’s a lot easier for people to give honest and credible testimonials to third parties. If you’re interested in adding testimonials to your website – great! We think you’ll see an increase in business from it, and we’re here to help. Just give us a call.

Custom Development/ Integration and what you can achieve through Turboweb - 14th Feb 2018

What can you do with custom development?

Turboweb doesn’t just offer out of the box, Simple Web Manager websites, we also offer custom website development. This means that we work with you to design the website from the ground up, so that everything can go and do what you want it to. It means you get a lot of possibilities and freedom to create a customised website. With the right planning, time, design knowledge and general know how, you can get a very unique, functional website that truly showcases your company.

We work with clients to create whole new website platforms that aren’t anywhere else on the internet, whether they be an investor/investee platform, or customised booking or ordering forms, we can work with you to realise your ideas.

What do we integrate with?

At Turboweb we live and breath the internet. We can help you achieve those business specific things that you’d like to on the internet through custom development. We can integrate your website with a range of outside programmes so that if your business uses certain software that is integral to the running the of the business – check in with us to see if we can connect your website to that software. For example, we work in with MailChimp, Xero, Payment Express, Magento, Opencart and Vend. We can also work in with your existing database system, making it super easy for your website to work in with your business.

So, what do we mean by ‘custom development’? And what're some examples of what we can achieve? Well, here goes.

Custom Development is a bit of an open box. Basically, if you have an idea of how your website could work best for your business, talk to us and we’ll let you know if we can build it for you. Rather than use an out of the box product, we can build your website uniquely from the foundations up, or we can add some customised elements to your existing framework to complement your business.

Some examples of custom development we’ve done in the past are Butchery forms for Woodlands and Isla Bank Butcheries,Fiordland Jet booking form integration with their tour booking system; Rezdy and Affinity Mortgage’s website design, with interactive icons and direct video integration. We work with clients across Invercargill, Gore, Balclutha and Dunedin to establish their unique brand and website presence, with custom integrations and custom website development.